Epilogue One Fine Day
SKYLAR
Do I have everything? I scan my suitcase, then my carry-on, then Simon’s bag. I have his dog bed, his toys, and some peanut butter biscuits.
We’re all set.
As I head to the door, I wave goodbye to my brother’s house. I’ll be back, for sure—but as a guest.
Adam moved home from Europe and is taking over the place again. Right now, he’s at work, but later he’ll return to take care of Cleo.
And, well, his new girlfriend.
Like I could resist playing matchmaker with Adam and Jessica.
Besides, Adam finally got over his whole “don’t date a neighbor” thing when I showed him how well it can turn out.
They went on a date when he was home last fall, and then she visited him in Amsterdam in the winter.
I checked her mail while she was gone. I’m just a good neighbor like that.
I leash up Simon and open the door…to find my boyfriend waiting on the front porch. Ford is standing there, grinning and looking so damn good in shorts and a polo.
He sticks out one hand and takes my suitcase, then Simon’s with the other. “Like I’d let you carry your own bags.”
“Not when you have Focus and Dedication, and they helped you win the Cup,” I say, still proud of him for finishing his final season exactly the way he wanted to—on top of the world.
With no bruised ribs. No injuries. Just joy.
He’s been noodling on what to do next. Maybe that smoothie shop. Maybe broadcasting. Or maybe he’ll open a dog hotel, he mused the other night.
For me, I’m busy with the podcast, which has kept growing, but so has Haven Designs. I’ve been decorating so many homes with secondhand, refurbished, and vintage looks that my little green heart is growing bigger every day. For now, the next thing is a trip.
He carries the bags to his car, loads them in the trunk, then helps Simon into his dog seat in the back, right next to Zamboni.
Before I get in, I spot Jessica in her front yard and wave. “I’ll be sure to check the mail,” she calls.
“Have fun with my brother,” I say.
“I will,” she replies with a wink.
Then we head off—to the dog hotel first, where we check in two very spoiled dogs into one special suite.
They’re practically living together now. They will be officially when we get back from our trip, and I move in full-time with the guy next door.
For now, though, we’re headed to Italy.
On the plane, I say, “You never told me—are you the kind of guy who sets out for a day in Tuscany ready to see what he stumbles across, or do you hire a tour guide?”
His dimple flashes. “I guess you’ll find out.”
A few days later, I do—when we’re wandering through a vineyard, the sun shining bright across the grapes, my boyfriend relaxed and happy, and then…
He gets down on one knee.
“Marry me, Skylar,” he says. “Marry me and be mine always.”
My heart soars to the sunlit sky as I say yes.